Sustainable Construction of a Commercial Development in Australia - Case Study Example

The key feature that pertains to green construction is the sustainable development movement, which is changing not only the appearance of physical structures but also the workings of organizations and companies that populate the built environments in addition to the minds of the people who inhabit such environments. It cannot be gainsaid that present-day corporations are more than ever before actively engaged in the protection of the environment. This is the reason why companies such as the Ford Motor Company, DuPont, and Hewlett Packard Company now employ a triple-bottom-line reporting, which involves corporate refocus from mere financial results to more a detailed standard that also encompasses social and environmental impacts.

By including these fundamental principles of sustainability in their annual reports, corporations acknowledge their environmental and social impacts and ensure improvement in all fields (Kibert, 2008). The issue of environmental concern is therefore relevant to any corporation of the modern-day. As corporations get concerned about the environment, they also need to ensure that their areas of operation are sensitive to environmental protection. Specifically, the construction of a giant Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) listed company such as Billabong is supposed to take environmental issues into account as this is the very first step of being actively involved in corporate social responsibility.

The concept of green buildings involves the construction or renovation process as well as the maintenance and operation of the building in a manner that takes into consideration the impact that the building has on the environment. When green design and methodology are applied, natural resources are conserved, materials are recycled, the utilization of energy and water is minimized, materials that are not deleterious to health are used, and a lovely environment, conducive to productivity is guaranteed.

In realizing the objective of having a minimized negative impact on the environment, green buildings generate cost reductions that can be significant in comparison to the costs involved in putting up, maintaining, and operating conventional buildings. These savings can be noted in terms of the cost of materials when existing raw materials can be reused or recycled; in the cost of energy as a result of the incorporation of more efficient systems and alternative options that require much less energy.